Quid pro quo, Clarice.
So I just came off a hellacious couple of weeks (which I will explain properly sometime soon) and I am feeling FREE AS THE WIND BLOWS. Best part? So many of my mental processes have been freed up, and I've been thinking about writing a lot more than I have been lately. Which feels so, so good.
I was thinking of a simple exercise I used to do with writing partners - I was actually telling
moonsheen about it the other day - and I thought I'd put it up here so that we all could play.
Here's how it goes: you ask me a question about a writing project, I answer, and ask a question about yours. Simple as that! It could be about a specific project, or something in general (like, say, "Who is your most ____ character?" or something like that.) And the questions can keep going back and forth for as long as you like.
I've always found that it's easier to get enthusiastic about a project and dive right into it when you can share your enthusiasm with someone else. And there are my ulterior motives, of course - I get to find out about everyone else's writing, too.
Just to remind you all, my big projects are:
Completed:
In Descending Order
Grandmaster Draw
In progress:
Catalyst
The Imperial Guard
The Hungry Ground
Possession is Nine-Tenths of the Law
And there are also short stories like "The Mountain Sleeps" (and the not-yet-written universe based around that story), and cowriting and such.
Let's play?
I was thinking of a simple exercise I used to do with writing partners - I was actually telling
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Here's how it goes: you ask me a question about a writing project, I answer, and ask a question about yours. Simple as that! It could be about a specific project, or something in general (like, say, "Who is your most ____ character?" or something like that.) And the questions can keep going back and forth for as long as you like.
I've always found that it's easier to get enthusiastic about a project and dive right into it when you can share your enthusiasm with someone else. And there are my ulterior motives, of course - I get to find out about everyone else's writing, too.
Just to remind you all, my big projects are:
Completed:
In Descending Order
Grandmaster Draw
In progress:
Catalyst
The Imperial Guard
The Hungry Ground
Possession is Nine-Tenths of the Law
And there are also short stories like "The Mountain Sleeps" (and the not-yet-written universe based around that story), and cowriting and such.
Let's play?
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What character surprises you the most when you write him/her?
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But she's not the usual type of character I write from the perspective of. She's not really outwardly snarky, and is a lot more thoughtful and serious in general. But when I actually started writing her, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. She's got a much more dry sense of humor that's a lot of fun to write, and when it comes down to it, she's probably ten times more of an alpha, protective type than the frat boy-ish male protagonist. She was unexpectedly my type of character after all, and I probably wouldn't have figured that out if I hadn't decided to try her as the protagonist.
All right, and for you, I would like to know about this rumored YA novel of yours. What's the setting?
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Also, the town has a surprisingly high population of angels and former angels, not that any of them actually realize that. :D
For you: how do you decide how to clothe your characters, and how to get their image across to the reader?
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I think I am probably the least specific when it comes to clothes! I usually only mention a few details when it comes to clothes - whether they're wearing a leather jacket, or a uniform, or what have you. Most of the time I don't make a conscious decision about how they should be dressed, but there are some cases where what the character's wearing is significant to the scene.
Okay, back to you: who's the protagonist of the aforementioned story? What's s/he like?
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What sort of antics would you like in future coprojecting?
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We haven't done much with the airship lately. I would love to throw Jasper and Charlie into a dire situation together to play with their dynamic more, maybe give Charlie a chance to shine and show Jasper that he's a little cooler than she thinks he is. And when are they going to find out about Nick's sudden but inevitable betrayal?
More de Rossi brothers to be sure - what's going on with Toni, and what are Amano and Angelo doing about it?
And of course, more Jasper/Angelo, Hannah/Ilario, and Sam/Marissa.
And for you - how did you come up with the concept for Elimay?
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I have no idea actually. It devolved from some hideously cliche magical group adventuring thingie and then I ditched that and uhhhh
*SO HELPFUL
Who are your hardest characters to write :V
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What types of settings do you prefer to write? When you write fantasy, how much of your worldbuilding is done beforehand and how much of it is supplemented as you go along?
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And for you: what's your preferred genre?
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Which of your protagonists is your favorite? Why?
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oh god incoherency
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What sort of character have you never written before that you'd like to try?
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I tried to get there with both Edgar and Lucien, but Edgar ended up having far too much humanity and a support network, and Lucien is actually less of an antihero than his heroic counterpart in some respects.
What's one of the hardest things you've found yourself having to do to a character?
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laaaaate
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Have you ever written with an unreliable narrator?
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The unreliability of these narrators has been fairly low-key, though -- more just a product of the fact that it's in their POV and so they're putting their own gloss on events, rather than a device for pulling one over the audience. I think it'd be cool to do something like that, though!
Okay, next question: What types of character dynamics do you find most interesting?
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One of the more interesting examples of my favorite crack pairings was Jasper and Angelo of one of my cowriting projects. She's an airship pilot with a hell of an alcohol tolerance and a dude's name, and he's a whiny Italian antihero who likes animals better than people. When they absolutely despised each other at the beginning of the story, I thought they would be the most hilarious couple ever. Then, naturally, he developed a crush on her, and now they're dating. They are, indeed, the most hilarious couple ever.
Your turn! What's your favorite kind of setting to work with?
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Hmmm. That's actually a difficult question! *g* It's very rare that I think of settings first; I tend to pick who I want to write about, and what concepts I'd like to play with/things that I would like to happen.
Now that I think about it, I think everything I've tried to build up from setting as opposed to from characters is unfinished. /o\ The most glaring culprits are the apocalypse!Merlin fic that I've barely scratched the surface of, the HP/Riddlemaster crossover, and the HP/Orpheus crossover; I've been picking at the HP ones for the better part of three years. WHY YES, I DO FAIL AT EPIC PROJECTS, WHY DO YOU ASK?
Most interestingly-repressed character you've ever written? (Random brain is random, heh!)
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Um, um. Hhmmm. Are there any 'ships of certain characters that you'd absolutely would dislike? The ones that make you go "Dear gods, no, never, eeewww, where is my pumice stone?"
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As for your ships, what ship do you love that you know will never happen?
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Oh wow, this is hard, actually! One I love is Yazem and Zalif (I can dig up uber old fanart to jog the memory if need be). Over the years, though, I realized it is never going to happen. The actual culture built up around them wouldn't break taboo even if Zalif came home a hero, because he is still technically a person forbidden by their god to be viewed as a human being. Only holy men are supposed to even go near one able to use 'the most vile magics'. Yazem would probably have been married off while he was out journeying, too, because her family's business and status within Esgal's political system is far too high to throw her to some no-name-magic-tainted bastard. I apparently like denying really nice characters happiness in love.
Return round: How many of your characters actually have siblings that are present in some form (actually in the story or they influence a character)?
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How organized or disorganized do you consider your writing process, and why do you think that process works well for you? (For example, do you plot everything out very meticulously before you sit down to write anything, or do you just write and see where it goes and tweak later, etc.)
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Which of your protagonists is most like you?
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Damn, your question is really hard, and I don't have nearly as many characters as you do! XD Overall, I think that all my protagonists have at least one prominent trait that I have (or like to think I have :x), but I actually think that Andy is the most like me (He's the narrator in Untilted #2 in my Works in Progress meme post, just for point of reference XD) in personality. He's fiercely loyal and protective of his friends and doesn't really care what other people think about him. He also kind of has a temper and is antisocial. And while I have never punched someone in the face, I certainly would if I thought it was necessary. >.>
Next question: How do you come up with character names, and the titles for your stories? And, if you don't mind a double question, which character name and story title are your favorite? (This seems like a simple/boring question, but good Lord I am terrible at coming up with titles especially, and I think your titles are awesome. TELL ME YOUR SECRET XD)